


Every Bit of Happiness

by coolangelsthesis



Series: parent!NoiAo [4]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, parent!noiao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 04:52:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3236954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolangelsthesis/pseuds/coolangelsthesis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he married Aoba, Noiz thought he was the happiest he could ever be in his life.<br/>But he was wrong.<br/>When he held his newborn child in his hands, he thought he was the happiest he could ever be in his life.<br/>But again, he was wrong.</p><p>Every bit of happiness was a coalescence to this moment, and to even bigger moments in the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Vati? Can you say Vati?”  
The one-year-old’s only response was his grin growing wider while staring up at his father in awe.  
“You can say Vati, right? Come on… say Vati. _Vati!_ ”  
Still nothing. The little boy just remained staring up at Aoba, transfixed on every word he spoke.

Aoba sighed in defeat and knelt down, scooping his son into his arms. He looked over his shoulder to Noiz, who was loosening his tie and removing his jacket after arriving home from work.  
Noiz studied his husband with a playful smile, watching silently at Aoba tried to draw something— _anything_ —from their child. Their son had made a huge discovery that day, as Aoba had ecstatically announced over his Coil earlier in the day.

“I swear, he said it earlier today. I _swear_ he did,” Aoba grumbled. Playfully he poked the baby’s cheek – the cheerful grin he received rubbed off onto him some, lightening his mood. It was impossible to feel frustrated when his son smiled at him.  
He used both hands to hold Lukas out in front of his face, brushing the tip of his nose against the infant’s button nose.  
“But now that we want to show Vati he won’t do it.” Aoba sighed, then kissed the child’s forehead before cradling him against to his chest.

Noiz closed the gap of space behind Aoba— wrapping his arms around his waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. Their son tried to grab tufts of Aoba’s hair between his starfish-like palms and pulled on whatever hair he could grab. Aoba winced but endured the faint pain. Protectively, Noiz brushed Aoba’s hair away and let Lukas play with his hand instead.

“Are you sure that he did speak, Aoba? Maybe you just want him to speak so badly that you’re hearing things.”  
“I am _not_ hearing things. He _really_ did say Vati.” He sighed. “I should have had Ren record it or something… who knows when he’ll say it again.”  
“Well, regardless if he really did say it or not, next time he does we’ll be sure to get it on video. Right?”  
Aoba nodded.

“And of course I’d love to hear him speak, but he just turned one, Aoba. Don’t get so impatient.”  
“But the couple downstairs said that their kid was talking when he was 11 months old. He should be saying _something_ by now, at least.”  
“I don’t want to measure Lukas up to any other kids. Maybe he needs more time. Maybe he _did_ speak, but he’s just as stubborn as you are and doesn’t want to do anything when he’s asked.”

He grinned when he got the reaction he predicted out of Aoba. His husband’s cheeks burned with heat, ready to go on the defensive. Before he could butt in, Noiz continued in a gentler voice.  
“No matter what, he’s still perfect.”  
“Yeah… yeah, he is.” Aoba lost the will to argue when Noiz spoke such tender words.

Noiz and Aoba’s eyes turned away from their child towards one another. Eyes glazed over with love met and they grinned. Seeing the other’s smile was enough to melt their heart and make their pulse race faster—even after years together, they were still rendered helpless. Noiz pressed a kiss to the corner of Aoba’s mouth before stealing himself away.

“Oh, that’s right,” Noiz said, swinging back around to face his husband. “Theo should be coming over sometime soon. Do you want to put Lukas down for a nap?”  
Aoba shook his head. “No, he woke up from one just a little while before you came home. He’ll just put up more a fight than it’s worth.”  
“Alright, Theo’s just going to have to deal with him. I don’t think he minds, really. He asks about you and Lukas all the time in the office.”  
“What, seriously? Still? And he just visited last week, though.”  
“He just likes being an uncle, I guess. Wants to be kept informed, do everything he can for Lukas. But I swear, if he comes with another gift for him…” Noiz’s voice trailed off, clicking his tongue.

“What, like you don’t do that, too?” Aoba snorted. “Open your briefcase. I bet you got another stuffed rabbit for him.”  
Noiz’s tone soured. He scowled and folded his arms over his chest.  
“…I did not,” he muttered beneath his breath, pouting like a child caught red-handed.  
Aoba grinned, relishing in catching Noiz in a corner he couldn’t run out of.  
“Oh, _really_? What’s that face for, then?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Aw, come on. I’m right, aren’t I? Which kind is it this time—another felt rabbit, or the ones with the little bells around their necks?”

Aoba walked over the coffee table, where Noiz’s briefcase was set upon the glass. With a soft click, he unfastened the locks on its front.He was just about to open it up when Noiz darted out, snapping it shut again with the force of his hand. He scowled at Aoba and batted his hand away.  
“Did _not_ ,” he said, growing irritated.  
“Then prove it to me. Open your briefcase and prove to me that there is not a toy in there.”

Noiz sighed, and begrudgingly he lifted open his briefcase. Sitting atop of a stack of papers a beige stuffed rabbit, an ornate bow tied around its neck, and hand stitched eyes in green yarn. He picked it up and turned to his husband with a beaten look. He sighed with disdain and held the incriminating evidence out in plain sight.

“Ha, I knew it,” Aoba said with a triumphant grin.  
“I can’t help it. He just looks so happy when I come home with them.”  
Noiz held the plush out the plush for Lukas. Their son accepted it with a gracious coo and grabbed the plush with both of his hands. He hugged it tight to his chest and played with the rabbit’s ears.

“Really,” Aoba said, laughing. It was hard to remain stern when Lukas looked so happy. “You can’t keep this habit up. Keep this up and he’ll be thinking that he gets a gift every day you come home from work.”  
“But Lukas likes it, what’s so wrong about it?”  
“Lukas shouldn’t start _expecting_ a toy when you come home. I don’t want to spoil him rotten. Say, here’s a deal: you have until he can say ‘rabbit’ to keep giving him gifts when you come home. Alright?”  
“Fine, fine. You’re so pushy, Aoba.”  
He leaned forward; he flashed his teeth in a coy grin.  
“Not that I mind much. I like when you’re pushy.”

Noiz kissed Aoba’s cheek, then Lukas’ cheek, then left to get into more comfortable clothing than his suit. Satisfied that Lukas was comfortable in his arms playing with his new toy, Aoba decided it would be best to tidy up a little before Theo arrived.

He had grown used to doing most tasks with one hand by now. He considered it a gift to be able to clean up the loft with just one hand… with some help from Ren putting stuffed toys away in their bin. And it was especially hard to prepare Lukas’ food when one hand held the crying baby on his hip. But Aoba quickly learned how and became incredibly skilled at it. At times he caught himself doing it even when he wasn’t holding his son as he has grown so accustomed to doing everything one-handed.

 _You’re becoming such a good househusband_ , Noiz teased when he caught Aoba cooking dinner with one hand once. He would have made his husband pay for the unnecessary comment, too, if it weren’t for the pasta for the meal he was making threatened to spill over.

Perhaps he had grown into a good househusband—but he didn’t mind it at all. It provided him more time to spend with his son. And Noiz was working as hard as he could for the three of them, it was the least he could do but do the same for their family.

He tidied up the living room, assorting Lukas’ stuff into bins and pushing away larger things like his rocking chair over to the side. And as though by clockwork, as soon as Aoba had tossed the last remaining toy in a bin along with the others, the sound of their loft’s buzzer chimed out.

Noiz sauntered down the stairs from the second floor in two-step increments, hurrying as fast as he could for the front door. Instead of wearing his suit, he was in a simpler button-down and a cardigan. He clicked the button allowing Theo up into their loft. Afterwards, he followed Aoba in waiting in the living room, holding their son between them on the couch.

A couple of minutes later Theo swung open the front door, shoes reverberating against the hardwood of the loft. He had visited so frequently after work that he knew the area by heart and felt welcome enough to let himself in.  
“Nii-san! Aoba-san! Lukas-chan!” he called out in the empty foyer. “Where are you?”  
“In the living room,” Noiz called back. Their son was growing restless on the couch; he whined and complained until Noiz hoisted him son into his arms, setting him rest in his lap. He picked up the bunny rabbit from the sofa and gave it to Lukas, letting him do with the toy what he liked—which, it appeared, was giving the plush a once over glance before throwing it onto the ground.

More of the same clicking of footsteps came closer and closer, then Theo’s face emerged in the threshold of the living room door. Theo grinned at the sight of Noiz and Aoba — but he almost squealed with delight looking at their blue haired son resting atop Noiz’s knees.

“Hello!” Theo said enthusiastically, waving at the trio staring back at him. There was a small but bulky bag held underneath his arm, spilling out tissue paper. Noiz gave Aoba a look from his peripheral—as he studied the bag further. Aoba elbowed him in the side and waved Theodor in.  
“Hi, Theo! How are you?”  
“I am doing wonderful, thank you, Aoba-san! And this little one…”  
He ambled further into the room and kneeled down in front of the couch, meeting Lukas’ line of sight. He grinned at the baby and the baby grinned back.  
“How are you doing, Lukas-chan?”

The baby squealed in delight and sat up closer in Noiz’s arms while trying to grab at the front of Theo’s suit. Theodor laughed and stepped back, perching on the edge of a chair sat opposite of the couch, overlooking the view of the setting sun over the backdrop of the city.

“My, he has grown a lot, hasn’t he?” he mused, looking over the child staring at him. It _was_ miraculous how much he had grown in the span of a year—being at first no more than the length of a forearm to being big enough to encompass most of his father’s lap.  
Aoba snickered and rolled off Theo’s remark with a shrug. “It’s just only a week since you’ve seen him, Theo.”  
“That’s still enough time for a kid to grow. Before long he will be walking and talking.”  
“Well, he is getting a bit of a hand on walking. He _loves_ to crawl and walk around. Sometimes if I don’t carry him around with me he’ll go wandering.” Aoba laughed and ruffled up his son’s soft, curly head of blue hair. “He’s a troublemaker.”  
“And what about the talking?”  
“Well… that’s still a process. He keeps making sounds that _sound_ like they could be words, but who knows.”

Noiz butted into their conversation, taking a reprieve from bouncing Lukas in his lap.  
“Aoba claims that he said Vati earlier today. But I refuse to believe it until he does it.”

He hugged Lukas tighter and blew a raspberry on his cheek. He roared with laughter and pawed at Noiz’s face, trying to push his father away. To reciprocate, Lukas searched around his father’s face until he found a loose strand of hair. By accident he tugged on it hard, making Noiz wince as he broke away.

“Maybe he doesn’t like you not taking him speaking seriously, either,” Aoba teased, sticking his tongue out.  
Noiz rolled his eyes and pinched Aoba’s earlobe, smirking when his husband let out an annoyed groan.

Theodor chuckled. “Hah, he really _is_ a handful.”  
He sat up in his seat and nodded to his older brother.  
“May I hold him, to give you guys a bit of a break?”  
Noiz nodded as his response.

Noiz sat up from the couch with Lukas in tow; he crossed the few couple of steps between the couch and the chair Theo was sat in. He aided his younger brother in holding Lukas comfortably in his lap. The child stared up at his uncle curiously as he stared back, engrossed in all the small details of his face. Lukas’ eyes were the same warm golden of Aoba’s and the same light blue hair as Aoba. And he was wearing a pink rabbit onesie that he was certain Noiz had picked out. He rocked the child back and forth slowly in his arms.  
“Are you causing trouble for your daddies, Lukas-chan? That’s not a very kind thing to do. They love you very, very much. You love them too, don’t you?”

Lukas remained silent but stared at him with a perma-half smile. Theo’s sickly sweet tone was alluring to him, even if he could hardly understand what he was saying.  
“Of course you do,” Theo continued on. “They’re wonderful parents. And they—oh! I nearly forgot! I brought a gift for you, little one.”

Theo used a hand to paw at the ground for the bag he had brought with him while the other held Lukas safe in place. He discarded the abundance of wrapping paper and pulled out a toy.  
“Ta-da!” he said with a grin, holding it out to the child. “I hope you like it.”

It was a rabbit plush, with beige felt and a decorative bow wrapped around its neck. It looked strikingly familiar—if not identical to the one sitting on the floor.  
Noiz rubbed his face with his hands.  
“Are you serious,” he muttered dryly.  
Aoba snickered and gave his husband a pat on the back as a consolation prize.

Theodor’s brows knit together with a look of confusion. He looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to read what was so funny or what he had done wrong.  
“What is it? What’s so funny?”  
“Heh, Noiz bought a stuffed rabbit _just_ like that one.”  
“ _Just_ like that one,” Noiz added for emphasis. He pointed to the plush’s twin lying on its side where Lukas tossed it.

Theo’s face paled. “Ah, you’re right! I’m sorry, I had no idea. I can return it, if you like.”  
Aoba shook his head. “No, you don’t need to do that. It’s fine. I think Noiz might want to keep one for himself, anyway. Huh, Noiz?”  
Noiz’s pout and stubborn silence afterwards was enough of a reply. He clicked his tongue in annoyance to disguise his embarrassment.

“Where did you get it, Theo?” Noiz asked.  
Lukas was seeming to like this one more than the one Noiz had bought him; he was cooing happily, hugging it, even suckling on the felt rabbit ears. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but Noiz was jealous. And he knew that Aoba knew that, too, and would easily tease him about it.

“I got it at that little toy store a couple of blocks away from the office,” Theo replied. “Where did _you_ get it?”  
Noiz’s pout worsened. He folded his arms over his chest, even turning his head away as he griped.  
“That… same toy store.”

Immediately, Aoba sprang into a grin. He clutched onto Noiz’s arm, prodding and teasing him until his façade fell.  
“You really _are_ brothers after all,” he said. “Going to the same store, picking out the same toy… that’s pretty cute.”

Still, Noiz refused to look over at him. He remained obstinately turned away, averting his direction to their son—and the felt rabbit in his hands. With a sigh, Aoba leaned over and pecked Noiz on the cheek. He weaved his fingers through Noiz’s and squeezed them tightly. Noiz finally gave in, he sighed and squeezed Aoba’s hand back.

“Jealous because Lukas likes Theo’s gift more than yours? Maybe your gifts are losing their effect on him.”  
“I’m _not_ jealous” Noiz still continued to insist, still pouting.

They continued on with comfortable small talk, revolving mostly around Lukas. While in Theo’s lap, the child grew antsy quickly—soon enough he tossed the rabbit plush on the ground. He cried as he stared at the rabbit lying on the ground, and clutched at the air towards it. He tried to crawl his way out of Theo’s lap to grab them, but Theo made him stay put. And every time Theo grabbed the plush for him, he tossed it on the ground once again.

Quickly he grew tired of the plush and he devoted his attention elsewhere—mostly in trying to rally Noiz’s attention. He didn’t want to be in his uncle’s arms anymore, he wanted his father’s. The child trashed his arms and kicked—he cried and bellowed when Theo wouldn’t let him go.

Noiz sighed in annoyance. “Theo, let me take him. He’s causing too much of a havoc.”  
“No, it’s fine, I have him. Children to this a lot, don’t they?”  
“Yeah, but he is causing—”

“ _Vati!_ ”

The tiny, tear-laden voice cut through the conversation like a knife.

At once, the room became silent and the adult’s faces froze over with shock. The three of them stared at the child, asking the same question to themselves— _did he really just speak?_  
In confirmation, Lukas repeated himself, weakly mewling “Vati” as little arms reached out yet again for his father’s arms.

Immediately, Aoba shot a look to Noiz, ecstatic to see his reaction. He looked dumbfounded—eyes wide, mouth agape with a gasp. He stayed immobile for a couple moments, merely staring in awe for a few moments before breaking into the largest, happiest grin Aoba had ever seen. He grinned with all of his features—radiating joy.

“He said ‘Vati,’” Noiz breathed, voice heavy with the threat of tears. He stood up from the couch and held out his arms for his son. With an honored smile, Theo helped lift Lukas into Noiz’s arms. Finally calmed, the child hugged Noiz’s neck and cooed gleefully once wrapped in his father’s arms.

Noiz rocked him back and forth slowly, patting the baby’s back while helping him ease from sobbing. He stayed wistfully silent, grinning all the while.  
“You called me Vati…” he whispered to the child, for speaking any louder would make his tears spill over. “I’m so proud of you.”  
He kissed Lukas’ hair all the way down to his cheeks, whispering words of endearment to the child over and over.

Aoba and Theo watched on with silent reverence. Their eyes met and in a single glance, they shared unspoken words—once of pride, ones of love for the person they both adored the most. Seeing him so happy made was all they could have ever wished for, knowing that the years of toil and hardship they overcame together was worth all of it for _this_ moment.

Once Lukas was completely calmed, Noiz carried Lukas back to the couch with him, letting him sit on his knees. He grabbed Aoba’s hand and clutched it tightly. With the other, he ran his hand across Lukas’ scalp, the hair soft and delicate underneath his fingertips. After a tremulous breath to regain himself, he spoke.

“You think you’ve seen everything, that you’ve known what it’s like to be completely happy. Then things like this happen and you are so wrong. You think, in this moment, I’ve never been happier in my life. Ever since Lukas was born, I’ve that feeling every single day. When they look at you and they smile, when they first speak… all of those moments add up more and more until you feel like you’re going to burst with happiness.”

Theodor’s eyes warmed with a gentle smile. “And you deserve every bit of happiness, big brother.”

Noiz stared at his younger brother in awe; he opened his mouth to speak, but his words were cut off by the sound of Theo’s ringtone going off. His flicked his wrist up to check the caller ID. He shot up immediately and straightened out his suit.  
“Ah, it’s my date. I’m supposed to go to a restaurant in a half an hour. I have to go now—sorry for not staying too long, I kind of forgot I had other plans. I’m so busy lately I forget things all the time!” Theo laughed while shaking his head at himself.

“It was nice coming over, though! I’m happy that I got to hear your little one speak for the first time. I’ll see myself out. Bye, Nii-san, Aoba-san! Bye, Lukas-chan!”  
“Goodbye, Theo,” Aoba said, then prodded Noiz in the side to get him to say goodbye to his younger brother. With a farewell wave, Theo turned around and walked out of the loft.

As the front door closed shut, Noiz turned to look at Aoba. He sighed happily.  
“Vati,” he said. “He called me Vati, Aoba.”  
He bounced the child resting upon his knee, filling with bliss as the curious face stared up at him.  
Aoba scooted closer on the expanse of couch and wrapped his arms around Noiz in a hug. He kissed the side of his cheek.

“Because he knows you’re the best Vati in the whole entire world. Isn’t that right, Lukas?”  
Aoba poked the tip of Lukas’ nose—it took the baby a couple of moments to react, but soon he wrinkled his nose and whimpered. He stretched his arms out to Aoba, beckoning to be held in the grip of his other father.

Aoba obliged, picking him up from Noiz’s lap and setting the child in his own, forearms clasped around the tiny body, cuddling him close to his chest. He leaned down, burying his nose into the silky-fine strands of hair and pressed a kiss to the top of his temple. Lukas cooed as Aoba continued to press delicate kisses along his temple.  
He felt warm breath on his bare arm. He lifted his head up to find Noiz watching the two of them with a tender look.

But there was something peculiar about his face.  
The icy green of his eyes reflected the overhead light, like glistening marbles. The skin around it was slightly puffy and red, as well. He was about to cry—he was definitely about to cry. Aoba could tell.  
Aoba knit his brows together and cocked his head to the side, curious.

“Noiz, is something wrong?”  
“Nothing,” Noiz replied, with an emphatic sniff to highlight the word. “It’s nothing.”

Noiz scooted in closer, even if his hips were pressed against Aoba’s. He weaved an arm between Aoba’s back and the couch and nudged his husband around until he could envelop him in a hug. He traced his hands down Aoba’s arms until they rested upon his, nestling their child beneath the security of their linked arms. He drifted his eyes shut and rested his head against Aoba’s shoulder.

“I’m just really happy, that’s all.”  
He listened to the steady throb of Aoba’s heartbeat, drumming softly against Noiz’s chest.  
“The happiest I’ve been in my entire life. And there will be even happier moments after this, too.”

Aoba grew still as he rolled over Noiz’s words. He sounded so wise and mature, he really _had_ grown up to be a wonderful young man. He rested his head against Noiz’s after kissing his bed of hair.  
They remained silent for a while as they stared, transfixed, at their son. There was nothing else that needed to be said that couldn’t be said in their combined warmth.

*

The rest of the night involved Noiz asking Lukas to call him Vati again while Aoba made dinner, Noiz helping wherever he could when he wasn’t tending to Lukas’ needs.  
After dinner he said he wanted to film it, so they could send it to Tae before they could show her in person.

“Okay… is everything ready, Aoba?”  
“Mhm. Just give me the signal.”  
Aoba adjusted his Coil on the dining table, making sure that the camera’s image was stable as it focused on their son. Lukas was sat in his dining chair, staring curiously as both of his fathers encircled around him. Noiz crouched down beside the high chair until he was at the same eye level as his son.

Noiz nodded to Aoba—he pressed the “record” button on the hologram screen. A red light on his Coil blinked when it started recording. The screen blipped to life, capturing Noiz and their son on the grainy hologram.

“Lukas,” Noiz said, steering his attention away from Aoba to their son. He grinned at the child and he cooed back, stretching his hands out to grab at the sleeve of Noiz’s shirt.  
“Can you say Vati, Lukas?”  
The baby opened his mouth, but didn’t say anything.  
“Come on… Vati. Say Vati, for me?”  
Lukas gurgled as a reply, then continued trying to grab onto his father’s shirt. Noiz’s smile turned into a scowl as he heard Aoba snickering behind the camera. Desperation crawled into his voice.  
“ _Please_ say Vati so we can get it on video…”

After a couple moments of silence, Noiz’s chest fell with a dejected sigh. “Aoba, stop the recording. He’s not going to do it.”  
“See, what did I tell you?” Aoba said as he switched his Coil off. “He only does it when he wants to. He doesn’t like it when you ask him to.”

Noiz was still wearing a comically disappointed look on his face. Even if they had been in a relationship for over 10 years and married for a little over 5, he still thought that there was a part of that 19-year-old brat nestled somewhere in his husband. And he saw it in these moments where Noiz’s emotions got the better of him—he saw the same kid unable to properly convey how he was feeling. A surge of nostalgia hit Aoba at these moments, that made him want to hold him even tighter, to express how proud he was of Noiz for bring the wonderful father and husband he had become.

“Aw, cheer up, _Liebling_.” Aoba stepped around the table and wrapped his arms round Noiz in a tight hug. “There’s always next time. He’s gotta say Papa next.”  
“Yeah, you’re right. He does,” replied Noiz while twisting around to return the hug. “And I’m going to be sure to record your reaction when he says it.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of Aoba’s head, then brought his lips to the shell of Aoba’s ear. He nipped at the lobe while his hands pawed over Aoba’s back and waist. A trademark hunger laced in the movements of his hands, the customary wants of his body when so close to Aoba’s shining through.

“Hey,” Noiz whispered into the whorls of Aoba’s ear, words enticing and warm against his skin. His voice had dropped into the lower, huskier tone he used in the bedroom, words encapsulated in excited, bated breaths. Aoba squared his shoulders, trying as best as possible to not get sucked into Noiz’s whims—but failing, like he always did.  
He kissed his way down Aoba’s neck, seeming to pay no mind to their son sitting right next to them. He lifted his head up to look at Aoba once he had swooped down to his collarbones. Excitement danced across the surface of his eyes.

“Call me Vati.”

“ _W-What?_ ” Aoba exclaimed. He tried to worm himself free from Noiz’s vice-like grip, but instead he wound his arms even tighter around Aoba. He leaned in to kiss him on the lips.  
“Maybe if I can’t get Lukas to say it on film, I can get you to.”  
“Gk…! You!” The only thing that Noiz hadn’t changed from when Aoba first met him was his ridiculous libido and tendencies to act without thinking properly. Aoba blushed and pushed himself away from Noiz. Glaring without any genuine anger, he pointed to their son perched beside them.

“No, no, _no._ We still have to give Lukas a bath, and put him to bed!” He picked Lukas up into his arms. “No time to be thinking about _that_ stuff when we have other things to do.”  
Noiz sighed, but nodded in agreement. “Well, what about afterwards, then?” he said, whatever seriousness he had been using brushed aside immediately thereafter, the same implications brought back in his smirk.  
“Ugh.” Aoba rolled his eyes and groaned. “Only if you give Lukas a bath tonight.”  
“Huh? But I did it last night.”  
“Don’t care. If you want this—” he gestured over himself with his free hand, trying to conceal his embarrassment as he did so, “— then you have to bathe him. Fair and square.”  
Noiz clicked his tongue, signaling defeat. “Fine, fine. Give him here, then.” He stretched his arms out for his son and Aoba handed Lukas over to Noiz. He cupped his hand around the baby’s head, letting him settle against his chest as he rocked him slowly.

“I swear, it’s like I have two kids instead of one sometimes,” Aoba muttered to himself as he picked up the plates from their dinner.  
“Do you want to have two kids?”  
“W- _What_!?”

Aoba nearly dropped the plates in his hands. He gaped at Noiz, shocked with the brevity his words held.  
Noiz stammered, trying to brush off his words.  
“Ah… n-nothing. I didn’t say anything.”

After a couple failed attempts at speaking, he rushed to the bathroom to start Lukas’ bath. As soon as those words left his mouth, he reddened with embarrassment. That was a rarity to see—Noiz humiliated over something he had said.

Aoba shook his head and laughed to himself. He wondered if Noiz was speaking before thinking properly, but he knew better. Noiz had been probably thinking about this for a while, and by chance he accidentally slipped out the truth before he could properly ask Aoba. He was probably mortified right now.  
He probably wouldn’t bring it up for days, weeks, or months afterwards and would remain ignorant to what he said for as long as he could keep up the ruse. But that was fine. Aoba could wait until Noiz felt comfortable enough to ask him again. Or maybe he would ask Noiz someday.

Because if he was being honest with himself, the answer to Noiz’s question was yes. He did.


	2. 3/4 of a Whole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prompt request that happened to be a perfect sequel/epilogue for this fic. An older Lukas receiving the news he's going to be a big brother. <3
> 
> Crossposted from tumblr, blog post [here](http://seventhimpact.tumblr.com/post/109327189278/so-how-should-we-break-the-news-that-theyre).

“Okay, yes, that’s great news! Thank you so much. Take care, alright?”

Aoba turned off his Coil with a happy sigh and a euphoric grin. He turned to Noiz, sitting by his side on their bed, idly skimming through some files for his work.   
“Who was that? Aoba, why are you grinning like that?”  
“That was our surrogate. She just found out she’s pregnant.”

Noiz gasped with surprise, then lifted the corners up in a bright smile.

It had been around 3 years since Noiz first mentioned the thought of having another kid, and off and on again, they both considered it. Whenever either of them considered the possibility, life became more and more hectic and another child had to remain on the backburner.

But after a couple months of serious contemplation, Aoba decided it was time to ask Noiz. Everything was sorted out and it was the perfect time for another addition to their family. He just needed the right time to ask.

And the perfect opportunity presented itself on Lukas’ fourth birthday— after they spent the entire day doing whatever their child’s heart desired. Lukas loved going to the zoo more than anything else, and they spent nearly the entire day there, ambling along in the crisp spring air, admiring the lively animals in their pens, with their son rattling off various facts whenever they stopped at an exhibit.   
Noiz had even paid for a pass that gave them access to be even closer to the animals. Aoba was ready to scold his husband for wasting over 200 euros that he didn’t need to, but seeing the joy on their son’s face made it all worthwhile.

It was when he saw the elated grin on his husband’s face in the petting zoo that he knew it was the right time. In his hands he gingerly held a small rabbit, extending it out so Lukas could stroke its soft fur. Noiz’s entire face warmed with a grin, with ineffable joy as Lukas cooed over the tin creature. Aoba watched on in silence with a soft smile. He knew that Noiz would want to share this same sort of happiness with another child.

After they headed home and put Lukas to bed, Aoba mentioned it. As he expected, Noiz said it was a perfect idea. But he was hesitant. As Aoba was the donor for their first child, it was obvious that he would be the donor for their second. What if they’re born numb, just like he was? Aoba held Noiz’s face in his hands, trying to wipe away his worries. He told him that even if their child had the same condition, they would still be perfect—and they had Noiz as their father, who would help them in whatever way they needed.

Now the moment was here—and now began the grueling 9 month wait until they could meet the newest face of their family.   
And in this moment, the two of them stared at each other with both joy and excitement.

“Isn’t this great news?” Aoba asked.   
“The greatest news,” Noiz replied. He tossed his paperwork to the side and leaned forward. He pressed his lips to Aoba’s forehead, brushing the loose tendrils of hair away from his face.

Aoba closed the gap of space between them, wrapping his arms tight around Noiz. His excitement waned slightly as he recalled their conversation from months before.

“Are you still afraid about what we talked about?” Aoba murmured.   
Noiz stayed quiet for a moment before sighing. He shrugged. “A little. But—“  
He skirted a hand away from Aoba’s waist, taking a loose strand of hair in his hand. He wound it tight around his wedding finger, the gold band glimmering brightly against the azure.   
“You meant what you said. Even if they’re born with the same condition. It’ll be better for them, right?”   
“Mhm. And they have you, and me, and Lukas who will love them so much.”

Noiz’s cold eyes softened. He brought Aoba’s hair to his mouth and kissed the thin strand before letting it fall.   
“Speaking of which,” he said, pulling himself out of Aoba’s hug. “We need to tell Lukas.”  
Aoba nodded. “So, how should we break the news that he’s going to have a new baby brother or sister?”

The two remained silence as they mulled over their thoughts. Noiz was the first one to come up with an idea.   
“What about the zoo?”   
“What? No. ‘Lukas, we’re here at the zoo. You’re going to be a big brother!’ That will _not_ work.”   
Noiz sighed dejectedly. “Fine, fine.”   
“What about… I don’t know… a cake?”   
“A cake? No. That’s even worse. Especially since he’s rowdy when he has that much sugar.”   
“Ah yeah, that’s true.”

Again they dipped into silence, trying to think of the simplest way to break the news to their 4-year-old son. Unable to reach any consensus, Noiz sighed.   
“Why don’t we just be straightforward about it?”   
“I guess that’s our only real option.”  
“Want to do it now?”   
“Now is just as good as any other time— yeah.”

Briefly Noiz kissed Aoba on the lips before they headed out of their bedroom, down the flight of stairs and into their living room. Lukas was sitting in front of the coffee table, drawing with a set of crayons in a large sketchbook. Ren was sitting atop the glass front, with Midori resting upon his back, the two AllMates in sleep mode. Their son was drawing the two of them—Ren represented as a large, navy blue ball and Midori as a green cube. He hummed as he drew, not minding his parents watching on in anticipation.

Aoba sat down next to Lukas; Noiz did the same on his other side. He hardly noticed, however. He was too engrossed in finishing off the final pieces of his sketch, filling in the spaces of the page with blue sky and green grass. He glanced out of his peripheral to his fathers just quickly enough to notice they were there. Spindly arms encased his work, hiding it out of the view of his fathers’ eye.

“Hi Vati, hi Papa,” he said cheerfully. “Just gimme a second.”   
Then he went silent. Sketch, sketch, sketch—little hands spanning across the piece of paper, upturning on its corners from vigorous coloring. Noiz and Aoba remained patient as they watched their son draw. He had a tendency to get drawn to one task and stay focused on it until it was done, hardly minding any attention to the world around him.

With a satisfactory hum, he set his crayon down on the table. Immediately he flipped it over.   
“I’m not done with it yet! You can’t see it yet.”   
“Well, when can we see it?” Noiz asked. He tried to peer over at the art, but Lukas scowled and pulled it closer to himself.  
“When I’m done! I drew Ren and Midori—but I haven’t drawn you yet. When I’m done you can see it.”

Lukas started assorting his crayons back in their box when he heard an anxious sigh. Aoba was watching him with a worried look on his face.   
“What is it, Papa?” their son asked, finally pulling attention away from his drawing. He pulled his little eyebrows together in a look of concern. He could read the anxiety rolling off of Aoba, which piqued his interest even further.   
“We want to talk to you about something,” Noiz said. He stretched his leg out underneath the table, nudging Aoba on his knee to stop looking so petrified with fear.  
Aoba narrowed his eyes at Noiz, but nonetheless tried to muster a smile to ease his son’s worries.   
“Lukas. We’re— uh, well, how do I say this… we’re planning on expanding our family.”

“You mean a pet? Are we getting a pet?”   
Lukas’ eyes widened like two large moons, he gasped and rose from the floor, lunging forward with ardor to hug his father. He spoke fast with his excitement.

“Can we get another rabbit? No, no! A dog! Or a cat! A cat! Let’s get a cat!”  
“Hah… no, Lukas… actually…”   
Aoba glanced over to Noiz, desperate for his husband to rescue him in the corner he was stuck in.

“We… we’re, uh…” Aoba barely clung to words, trying to find the most convenient way to word the truth but finding none.   
With a sharp exhale, Noiz sat up a little. He caught his son’s eye.   
“Lukas, you’re going to be a big brother.”

Lukas remained unblinking for a couple moments, stunned. Then after a sputtering gasp, his grin re-emerged twofold and he bounced with excitement.   
“ _Really?!_ That’s even better! _Großer Bruder_ Lukas!”   
He flung his arms around Aoba’s neck again and kissed him on the cheek, squeezed hard, then broke away to do the same to Noiz.   
“Thank you Papa, Vati! Our family will be even bigger and happier now!”

Before Noiz or Aoba could get another word in, Lukas ran off, exclaiming that he had to go tell a couple of friends that he had made—starting up his Coil as he scurried away to his bedroom with his unfinished art and box of crayons in tow.

After a moment wading in the silence from Lukas’ departure, Noiz and Aoba drew a collective sigh of relief.

“Well, that went a lot better than I expected,” Noiz said, smirking. He pulled himself up from the floor, encircled around the coffee table, and extended a hand out to help Aoba to his feet.

“Yeah, I know,” Aoba said once he regained his balance. “That could have gone a _whole_ lot worse. I’m glad Lukas is as excited about being a brother as I thought he would be.”   
“He’s a gentle kid, you know. He loves and cares about others a lot.”   
“Just like you,” Aoba added, grinning as Noiz’s cheeks flushed red.

In retort he swooped inward and pressed a kiss to the shell of Aoba’s ear. In a swift movement, he scooped Aoba into his arms and carried him to their bedroom without a word of complaint—with the full intention to have a quick celebration of their own.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! parent!NoiAo is my ultimate weakness... I could easily write a thousand fics about them just as parents alone because I love seeing them so in love, and having another (or several other) people to share their lifetime happiness with. ;-;  
> Noiz would make such a sweet parent because he's been through so much in his life, he would do anything he could to assure happiness for his children. Every day he keeps being surprised by how happy he is now that he has them...

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Playtime](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7528414) by [DramaticalHearts (dancingwithdestiny)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancingwithdestiny/pseuds/DramaticalHearts)




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